


Windbound

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Her Dark Works [19]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Abuse of Authority, Arendelle, Battle of the Witches, Betrayal, Camelot, Dark Curse, Dark One's Dagger, Demon Deals, Excalibur, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heart of the Truest Believer, Heir, Language, M/M, Madness, Magic Battle, Manipulation, Pan Never Fails, Pan's Last Curse, Revenge, The Dark One (Once Upon a Time), The Enchanted Forest, The Jolly Roger, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-25 11:53:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6194167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the aid of Zelena, Cruella de Vil, and Peter Pan, King Arthur acquired the Dark One Dagger. Killian escapes with Regina and Henry, but with Emma enslaved, Killian must work with Regina to steal the dagger back before the villains can execute their endgame. </p><p><strong>Her Dark Works</strong> takes place in an alternate universe where Emma Swan was born and raised in the Enchanted Forest. One day, things go horribly wrong, and she abandons her birthright and throne to seek revenge on the Dark One. What happens when a woman born to be the Savior of the Realm joins forces with the Vengeful Pirate of Neverland?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Your Beam Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Arthur uses the dagger to interrogate Emma about Henry's whereabouts. Killian, Regina, Henry, and Taio escape Camelot aboard the Jolly Roger and must work together to find a way to save Emma.

Pure molten fury flowed through Killian's veins as he saw Arthur holding the Dark One dagger. There wasn't time to react before purple mist surrounded him.

When it dissipated, he stood on the deck of the Jolly Roger with Taio, Henry, and Regina.

"No, not here!" Killian shouted at Regina. "It's not safe here!"

"What are you talking about pirate? Emma cast a spell on this ship," Regina said. "I saw her do it."

"The bloody dagger was hidden here!" he yelled back. "Didn't stop that bloody bastard from finding it, did it?!"

Regina held out her hands and a thick black cloud covered the ship, and as it went, red glimmers appeared here and there, forming a kind of shroud that surrounded the Jolly. She squinted at it for a few moments before she pointed to an area with no red.

"There," Regina said. 

She clenched her hands into fists, and the shroud and the cloud intertwined, purpling and filling the gap she discovered.

"What the bloody hell did you just do to my ship?"

"I thought you'd be happy," Regina replied. "You were right. They managed to punch a hole through the protection enchantment."

"They?" Taio asked. "Who are they?"

"At least two powerful sorcerers," Regina replied. "And, if you can believe it, we might have an even bigger problem. I'll be right back."

"Where the bloody hell are you going?" Killian asked.

"I'm going to check the brig," Regina replied sharply. "Unless you all have forgotten that we had prisoners before someone broke through that barrier."

Regina disappeared below deck, and Taio followed her.

Killian paced back and forth, attempting to quell his anger and think of a miraculous solution at the same time. But his brain wouldn't work because his anger was quickly elevating to rage. 

What bloody right did Arthur have to come on his ship without his permission _again_? What on earth could be so important that it was worth risking the wrath of the Dark One and Captain Hook? Did the idiot king take make his Swan a slave because of his quest for the dagger as Excalibur's sister of the forge?

Henry interrupted his train of thought.

"It can't be true," the lad said. "My mom isn't the Dark One, she's the Savior. And you said that you killed the Dark One. You did, not her. So why isn't it you?"

"Your mother is the Savior, Henry," he replied. "She cast a spell that drew out the darkness from the Crocodile so he would be mortal again. I took his life, not your mother, but then the darkness came back. It was supposed to take me, lad, but your mother pushed me out of the way. She saved me."

"But she can't be the Dark One and the Savior!"

"She can and she is," Killian replied. "She revived nine giants that the Crocodile had turned to stone. She reversed a powerful curse cast over an entire castle full of servants that turned them into talking candlesticks and walking footstools. She defied Pan. Twice. And defeated him. Twice."

"But she's the Dark One!" Henry said. "It doesn't matter who she is!"

"That's not true, Henry," Killian replied. "Who she is matters a very great deal. Being the Dark One didn't stop her before, and it won't stop her now."

"Except for the fact that Arthur holds the dagger," Regina said as she returned to the deck with Taio. "The Lost Boys are gone. I knew I recognized the work of one of the sorcerers: Peter Pan."

"You need to get Emma's parents," Killian said.

"You think they haven't been locked in a dungeon yet?" Regina asked.

"I think it's bloody well worth a try!"

Regina rolled her eyes, but she disappeared in a swirl of purple-and-black mist.

"Do you think she could rescue Victor?" Taio asked.

"Seeing as how Arthur is in league with that witch Cruella, I doubt it," Killian replied. "Any insight as to why she wanted him?"

"They knew each other," Henry replied. "He recognized her."

"The boy's correct," Taio added. "Before Victor met me, he lived in another realm. His work was... well, he doesn't like to talk about it. But he needed something he couldn't get in his land: a good, strong, resilient heart. So he traded for one. When he sought a second, the price was much higher. He got drawn into an elaborate ruse in a Land without Time, and by the end of it, he was lucky to escape with his life. He wasn't given the second heart he needed, so he stole something from Cruella. Something that allowed him to travel to other realms. He went home and tried to make things right, but without the second heart, he couldn't continue his research. He lost everything, and then he was taken here, to our realm for a trial."

"A trial?" Henry asked. "You mean like, a legal trial?"

"Yes, he was called as a witness," Taio replied. "The people being tried were named Isaac Heller and Cruella de Vil. He was here for many days, and I was asked to host him and to protect him. That's how we met."

"So the witch seeks vengeance on Victor for his part in her imprisonment," Killian said.

"Imprisonment? No, no," Taio said. "His testimony proved Cruella innocent. She was returned to her own realm. Isaac Heller was the guilty party."

"So why would Cruella want Doctor Whale?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Taio replied. "Unless he knows something she doesn't."

Three swirls of purple mist erupted on the deck, and Regina appeared with Snow White and King Charming.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

"Hey, Henry, is everything all right?" Charming said as he pulled his grandson into a hug.

"Captain, get us the hell out of here!" Regina said loudly. "Zelena isn't far behind us."

"This is my ship, I'm the one who gives the orders," Killian replied. "Henry, will you join me at the helm?"

Henry nodded, and Killian brought him to the wheel of the ship.

"Regina, raise the anchor!" he shouted. "King Charming, Queen Snow, Duke Taio, hold fast. We're setting full-sail for Arendelle."

"What is going on? Why are we on this ship?" Snow asked. "And why Arendelle?"

"To speak with a former Knight of the Round Table," Killian replied. "We're getting Emma back."

* * *

Emma stood in her cell facing the wall.

"Emma, talk to me," Whale said for the hundredth time. "How did we get in here? Why am I in here? Where's Cruella?"

"Dude, give it a rest," Lily replied. "She hasn't said anything in hours."

She was ordered not to communicate with anyone, so while she couldn't answer, she listened to Whale and Lily debate their situation. They wasted a lot of time bickering, but she had gleaned some important facts from them in the past few hours.

Cruella had ruined Whale's life, so when he saw an opportunity to double-cross her, he took it, stealing a charm that allowed the user to travel between realms. He paid handsomely for his revenge, however, as the Dark One captured him in the Enchanted Forest and turned him and Taio to stone for over thirty years. They were revived to test the power of a mirror that sent people to a Land without Magic. They arrived about two weeks before her son and parents.

Lily insisted she was only here as leverage against her mother, Maleficent, who had been dragged out of the dungeons hours before Emma arrived. Before Lily was born, Maleficent owed a debt to a man who served a powerful sorcerer, and in repayment of this debt, she acted as a jailor on his behalf. She didn't know who the prisoner had been or why her mother agreed to lock him up, but it was clear that someone wanted him freed.

It was incredibly frustrating to get so many tiny pieces of the puzzle. Her two companions failed to understand that whatever was happening, these events were connected. They were all in this dungeon because Arthur was helping Cruella, so she must have leverage.

But they were too busy sniping to figure it out themselves, and she was forced to remain silent. 

The sound of footsteps caught their attention, and Whale and Lily both came up the bars for a better look.

"Mom? Mom?"

Two guards dragged a body between them, and a third opened the far cell door to let them enter. They tossed her unceremoniously onto her bed and then locked the door behind them. 

"What did you do to my mom?" Lily shouted.

They walked away in haughty silence.

Lily began talking to her mom, trying to get her to speak, but Emma couldn't properly here a word.

_"I summon you, Dark One. Leave your prison and come to me immediately."_

The dagger called her, and she had to answer it. Black smoke curled around her, and she teleported to the Council Chamber, where Arthur stood waiting for her.

She felt his hand grip her dagger. Hatred erupted inside her. She would destroy this man if it was the last thing she ever did.

"You will answer my questions without hesitation and no lies," Arthur said, clutching the dagger. "You will not hold your tongue. You will not say anything else. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good," Arthur replied with a smug smile. "It appears your friends and your parents have escaped with that boy, and as much as I don't like it, we require him. So, where is Henry of the Scribes?"

"I don't know," Emma replied.

"Where would they take him to hide?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know."

Arthur appeared frustrated for a moment, but then it disappeared and his face bore sympathy and charm. 

He said, "You have my word, Miss Swan, that your parents will not be harmed. I will even spare the pirate and that witch Regina, but only if you help me. You're clever. Whatever commands I give you, you can find a semantic loophole or similar escape, I'm sure. I suspect you think I am a villain, taking control of you, but this is for the greater good. I have no ill will toward you or your family. But I do require the boy. So stop playing games and tell me what I need to know: where is Henry of the Scribes?"

"I don't know."

"Where can I find him?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me, Dark One, why won't you help me? If you are Savior of the Realm, shouldn't you be working for the greater good?"

"The Dark One is incapable of doing anything for the greater good," she replied. "That is why I hid it, so no one would ever go looking for favors from the Dark One ever again. Anything you ask of the Dark One comes at the darkest of prices."

"I have your dagger!" he shouted, deranged. "YOU MUST OBEY ME, DARK ONE!"

"Yes, I must obey you."

"Then tell me where the boy is!"

"I don't know."

Arthur made a frustrated noise and began pacing and muttering to himself. After a few minutes, he turned to her with a look of revulsion.

"You disgust me," Arthur said. "I was at your Naming Ceremony. Did you know that? I stood and watched as your parents proudly announced their heir to the throne, Princess Emma, the product of True Love, born with a great destiny. You were the apple of their eye, the most precious thing in the world to them. And all that nonsense about being born of True Love? Well, I suppose when there was only one of you, it seemed important, but then your brother and sister came along, and people started realizing that True Love really is just a legend. You were no more special than any other Prince or Princess, certainly not more special than your own siblings. And look at you now, Emma Swan, the Princess who renounced her crown, who came of age and spat in her parent's legacy. You cavort with thieves, openly protect the likes of the Evil Queen, and fornicate with a pirate guilty of such heinous crimes that he should've been executed on sight. Who better to fit the mantle of the Dark One than you, Emma Swan? Tell me, how does someone born with every privilege, who was raised with love and honor, who was destined to be the Savior of the Realm, become a such a pitiful, vile creature as yourself?"

"Sacrifice." 

"What?" he said, his fury slipping away into confusion. "Explain."

The words left her mouth without any conscious thought to form them, as if the truth had stated itself with her lips. Every single word left behind a rigid bitterness and not just on her tongue. 

She said, "I destroyed a monster who terrorized every realm that knew him, and when the man who helped me faced a terrible price for it, I sacrificed myself to save him."

Arthur's entire demeanor shifted, his disgust mutating into concern and his anger into curiosity. He wasn't quite remorseful, but when he spoke again, his voice changed. He stepped closer and spoke in a whisper. 

"Perhaps we can make a deal," he said. "Come to an arrangement, just you and me. All I need is to restore Excalibur to its full power. Tell me how to restore it, and I need not rely on nor aid these villains. You are still a good person, Miss Swan. I can see that now. So help me fulfill my destiny. How do we restore Excalibur?"

"I don't know."

"Liar!" he shouted as he stepped away. "Tell me how to restore my sword, or I swear to you, Dark One, I will plunge this dagger into your heart! Tell me what you know!"

"I don't know," she replied. "I know nothing about your sword or how it relates to the Dark One dagger."

Then she saw them slink in from the shadows. Cruella and Zelena flanked either side of Arthur with matching smug smiles on their faces.

"I told you, darling, the Dark One is useless," Cruella said. 

"I wouldn't say useless," Zelena added. "More like clueless."

"Seems as if you're stuck with us villains for now," Cruella said.

"What's to stop me from ordering the Dark One from tearing that information out of you two witches?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing at all, darling. Nothing at all," Cruella replied. "Just our bargain and your honor."

"We didn't come here to trade words with a dim-witted tyrant," Zelena interrupted. "We need your dog here to go fetch."

"And when she says 'we', she means all three of us, darling," Cruella added. "There are only two people in all the realms who know about your funny little pig-poker, the Sorcerer who created it, who's nowhere to be found these days, and the Author."

"So the man who holds the key to your lover's cell also happens to be the only person who can tell me what I need to fix my sword?" Arthur asked. "Do you take me for a fool? Tell me, how does this pitiful pen-pusher know about the most powerful weapon in all the realms?"

"Because the Author receives his power and authority from the Sorcerer," Emma replied, the words leaving her lips before she could even think about it.

"I take it back," Zelena said. "She's not clueless."

"So it's true?" Arthur asked Emma. "The Author knows how to remedy the sword?"

Emma replied, "I don't know if the Author knows, but he possesses the ability to find out."

"Practically an endorsement from the only person in this room who can't lie to you," Cruella said. "Now, can we move this business along. Do we know where boy is?"

"She doesn't know," Arthur replied harshly.

"What about the pirate?" Zelena suggested. 

"What about him?" Arthur retorted.

"As her this," Zelena said. Then she made a show of leaning over and whispering in his ear.

"Where would your pirate go after our encounter?" Arthur asked.

"To his ship, the Jolly Roger," Emma replied.

"And where would he sail?" Arthur asked. "Who would he go to for help in saving you?"

Emma gritted her teeth together, but it was no use. She replied, "Arendelle. King Lancelot."

"The boy will be under his protection," Zelena said. "He cares too much for Emma to trust anyone else with it. Come, Cruella, with any luck, Arthur's pet will have our Author before we return."

With that, they walked away, leaving Emma alone with the man she hated even more than the Crocodile, who was pacing through the empty chamber. 

She watched him closely, trying to discern what madness drove him to work with Zelena, who had openly betrayed him, and Cruella, a woman who had no qualms about her villainy. He hadn't asked about a hostage or anything like that, so their leverage over him was nothing more than the promise of information. 

He seemed certain that there was a way to restore Excalibur and that he'd be able to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goal. Usually her mother would call that faith, but Emma doubted that even Snow would see this man's recklessness as anything other than obsession. 

"If you had only cooperated with me, then perhaps we could've spared the boy and the Author," Arthur said. "Instead, we'll be freeing a criminal from his prison, and that boy, well, I don't want to know. Whatever game you're playing, Miss Swan, I hope you're better at it than you appear."

She wanted to scream that he was a coward. She wanted to ask him how a so-called good man could put a child in unknown, possibly mortal, danger. She wanted to tell him he was a fool for trusting in villains like Zelena and Cruella who will probably double-cross him rather than help him. She wanted to cry out that her son wasn't some bargaining chip to be handed off like he was nothing. She wanted to tell him that he had fallen too far to be saved.

But he had ordered her to say nothing more than what was required to answer his questions. So she held her tongue.

"I command you, Dark One, to discover the identity of the Author, and if he be living, bring him to me," Arthur said as he clutched her dagger. "While you do this, you are not to speak of me or Camelot nor anyone else I'm in league with. If someone asks why you seek the Author, lie. Tell them... tell them that you want to meet him, that you have questions for him. You will not speak or communicate with anyone unless it serves to find the Author. Go, now!"

With that, she left in a mist of blackness and shadow, terrified of what would happen to Killian and Henry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the nautical expression 'on your beam ends,' which means being in a perilous situation. Specifically, it referred to the danger of capsizing during pitching and rolling when the horizontal beams of the ship touched the water.


	2. Fly by Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Arthur's orders, Emma searches for the Author. Killian, Henry, Regina, and Taio travel to Arendelle in hopes that King Lancelot will be able to shed light on Arthur's erratic and desperate behavior.

_**Two nights ago,** after the ball, Emma appeared in Killian's room in an explosion of gray mist. She wore nothing but a thin, see-through slip that left little to the imagination. As beautiful and enticing as she was, he saw the doubt and misery she worked so hard to hide._

_"You're beautiful, Swan," he said as he pulled her into his arms. "Exquisite."_

_She put two fingers over his lips, and he pursed his lips over them, playfully caressing them._

_"Are you all right, love?" he asked_

_"I don't want to talk," she replied. "Not yet."_

_He studied her face as she undressed him. The despair in her eyes made his heartache. Didn't she know that he'd never quit on her?_

_His hands explored her skin over the delicate fabric of her slip, tenderly stroking her body until he was bare before her, his cock already red and hard for her._

_He slid his hand up her inner thigh, rubbing small circles over the delicate skin before working up to her slick folds. She was positively drenched, and she began to rut against his hand for more friction, eliciting a groan of appreciation form him._

_Emma's took advantage of his parted lips, her tongue thrusting into his mouth before her teeth tugged as his bottom lip. His free hand cupped her ass, pulling her closer as he worked her clit with his fingers. It only took a few moments before she released a moan of her own and he repaid her kiss in kind._

_Emma advanced and pressed him onto the bed until he was sprawled out across the comforter. Then she climbed above him, and he thrust two fingers into her wet and wanting heat while circling her clit with his thumb._

_She reached for his erection and took him in both hands, rubbing him until his cock wept precum and his hips were jolting off the bed in time with her hands._

_"Oh, gods..." he groaned. "Emma!"_

_She released him and pushed his hands away. Before he could even register what she was doing, she enveloped him completely in on fluid motion. She rolled her hips immediately, and his mind went blank for a few minutes of absolute bliss as he watched her above him. All her pain and fear had disappeared. The sight of her in ecstasy while fucking herself on his cock drove him wild._

_Killian grabbed her hips and sat up, kissing her with reckless abandon as they moved together. He trailed kisses down her neck to her generous bosom, where he ran his tongue across her nipples before sucking on them. She arched into it, throwing her head back as she moaned his name, and she let him take control of the page, relaxing as he thrust up harder and faster._

_He hand went to her needy clit, tapping gently at first in time with his thrusts._

_"More, Killian," she begged. "Please, more!"_

_As if he could deny her anything. He planted his feet on the bed and wrapped his free arm around her lower back, increasing the arch and deepening the angle as he increased the stimulation to her clit. Seconds later, she came, her walls clamping down on him and milking every drop from him as he followed her over the edge._

_They collapsed in a heap on the bed, limbs tangled, and her hair fanned out in every direction. She buried her face in his neck as her arms wrapped around him, tight as a vice. They stayed like that for a very long time._

_Then he started gathering up her hair, tucking it behind her ears and moving strands out of her face. He took his time, affectionately shifting only a few strands at a time, never breaking eye contact. At first, the afterglow poured out of her eyes, but he watched as doubt overcast and then overshadowed the joy she had recaptured in his bed._

_"What's wrong, Swan?"_

_"We were supposed to stay there," she replied. "If we did, then I'd be just me, but now... I don't want to be the Dark One, Killian."_

_"What about what we did last time?" he suggested. "Give me your darkness, or some of it, and - "_

_"That wasn't a fix," she interrupted. "It was a temporary solution to an immortal problem."_

_"In due fairness, since we sought passage to a Land without Magic, we didn't truly seek methods of exorcising the darkness from you," Killian replied._

_"I did."_

_"Aye, perhaps, but we didn't," he said. "I say we look again, Swan, and we keep looking in this realm and every other until we find something. What do you say, love? Are you up for another adventure?"_

 

Killian paced the receiving room. It had been hours since their initial arrival outside Arendelle's castle. Admittedly, they appeared uninvited in a swirl of purple smoke, which was generally frowned upon, but this was an emergency. 

It did not help matters that he arrived with a young boy and four people presumed to be dead.

Luckily, Ingrid intervened on his behalf, and after hearing about the perilous situation, she made arrangements for Killian, Henry, Taio, and Regina to see the king. Then Snow and Charming departed with her on their own mission, leaving them to wait for Lancelot.

Killian found the whole matter infuriating. The bureaucracy of court set them back three hours, despite the four royals traveling with him. Did no one in Arendelle understand what the word emergency meant?

"My apologies, I came as swiftly as I could," Lancelot said as he entered the room.

"Thank you, King Lancelot for giving us an audience, but if you please, we don't have much time for pleasantries," Killian said.

"Very well, speak plainly," Lancelot replied. 

"We need you to tell us everything you know about King Arthur and his quest to fix his sword," Killian said.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Lancelot said.

"You can't?" Regina repeated.

"You have to understand, I'm a disgraced Knight of the Round Table," he replied. "When Elsa and I were engaged, she was warned that marriage to me would be tantamount to an insult against Camelot, with discord and war to follow. The only way to keep the peace between the kingdoms was for me to take a vow of silence, never speaking of my past in Camelot nor its people."

"But he has my mom!" Henry pleaded.

"He has Emma," Killian clarified.

"Emma Swan is the eldest daughter of his oldest friends," Lancelot said. "Why would he take her?"

"She's also the Dark One, and King Arthur has her dagger," Regina replied.

"King Arthur has control over the Dark One?" Lancelot asked, utterly dumbfounded. 

"She's not just the bloody Dark One!" Killian replied. "She's the Savior of the Realm, and Arthur's holding her prisoner. Is your vow of silence more important than helping the woman who freed Ingrid?"

Lancelot replied, "I cannot break my vow, but - " 

An explosion shook the castle, interrupting him. Screaming followed, along with several blasts of a horn.

Lancelot drew his sword. "We're under attack!"

Killian and Taio drew their weapons, and Regina put Henry behind her, her hands raised and glistening with magic. They all faced the only door to the room, ready to strike.

The tension was palpable. Every so often, the castle shook, and screams echoed through the halls. Knights and guards raced by the chamber in all directions. Killian wondered if the rest of the castle was as chaotic as this wing. 

Then fire erupted out of nowhere, and it disappeared in the next instant, leaving the far ceiling of the chamber open to the sky.

"Well, well," Zelena said. "I've found the pirate!"

She zoomed in on her broomstick, going straight for Killian, but Regina knocked her aside with a fireball. He went to Henry as the two sisters began a full-on witch duel, their magic flashing as they fought.

"Oh, darling, this is too easy," Cruella said as she approached from the door, like she just strolled into the castle. "Here, darlings! Here!"

Six hunting hounds raced to her side. They were twice normal size with wild, fiery eyes and frothing mouths that coated their brown muzzles with foam. They surrounded Cruella, bearing their teeth as their hackles rose. 

Taio and Lancelot flanked him on either side.

"Leave the boy, kill the rest," Cruella commanded.

And with that, a horrible howling filled the room, and the beasts bounded toward them. Killian stepped forward and kept still. Once the lead hound was too close to dodge him, he dropped to the floor and thrust his cutlass up, right under the beast's chin. The hound's dead body crashed into him and threw him to the floor behind Taio and Lancelot.

He got back to his feet, ready to assisted Taio and Lancelot, but the two men had already cut down all but two of the beasts. He turned his attention to the witches. Regina knocked her sister off her broom with a powerful strike; in fact, the blast was so great that Zelena flew back out the hole in the ceiling.

Killian went to Henry, making sure he wasn't harmed. His heart raced as he anticipated their victory. If they could beat the witches back, then surely they could rescue Emma.

Then he saw something that turned his blood cold and nearly stopped his heart: Peter Pan. 

The little demon pinned Regina to the wall with a spell and went straight for Henry. Killian stepped out and rolled to cover, so when Pan reached the boy, Killian had the space he needed to plunge his cutlass into Pan's back and through his chest.

Relief flooded Killian as Pan slumped forward. Perhaps he could still travel between realms, but his battle with Emma had taken its toll.

But then Pan laughed. 

The villain slammed the palm of his hand on the point of the blade, and it came shooting out of his back like a spear. The handle struck Killian in full force in the stomach, and he doubled over in pain. 

When he looked up, Pan rose to the ceiling, holding Henry by the throat. He thrust his free hand into the boy's chest with a look of absolute joy.

Only, it didn't work. He couldn't get his hand passed the barrier of Henry's chest. 

"What is this?" Pan hissed loudly. "What have you done?"

"Protection spell!" Regina spat back. "No one can remove Henry's heart ever again. Not even Henry himself!"

"No!" Pan said, disbelief etched into his face. "NO! You fools! If I can't become immortal with the Heart of the Truest Believer, then I will find another way. You will all regret that you ever crossed me. Especially you, Henry. Your suffering will be the worst of all."

He dropped the boy, and Killian intercepted him, breaking his fall and crashing to the floor beside him. Regina, somehow free of the spell that hit her, joined them and helped them both to their feet. 

Lancelot and Taio were both covered in blood, but they suffered nothing more than a few scratches.

Their attackers were gone, leaving behind the six dead hounds and a gapping hole in the roof and wall.

* * *

Emma approached the Apprentice's hut in deliberate, measured steps, ensuring that he felt her approach. Before she knocked, he opened his door with a smile on his face. 

"Emma Swan, welcome back," the Apprentice said. "Can I offer you some tea?"

"Yes, please," she replied.

"Come in," he said.

She followed him inside, sitting at his small wooden table as he put the kettle on. 

"May I ask, where is Captain Jones?" 

"He's with my family," she replied. "I can't be with them. Not like this. I was supposed to be stranded in a Land without Magic, but circumstances changed. I'm trapped."

"I understand," the Apprentice said. "How is your son?"

"He's in danger," she replied. "And I can't help him. Not like I am now."

The kettle whistled, and the Apprentice poured them each a cup of jasmine tea.

"Why did you come here today, Miss Swan?"

"I came to ask about the Author," she replied.

"You believe the Author can help you?"

"I have to find him," she replied. "I don't have a choice. Do you understand?"

For a moment, something flashed across the Apprentice's face, and she hoped that he understood her.

"I see," he replied. "Give me a moment."

He left the table and went to a doorway that lead down, probably into a cellar. He returned a few moments later with a leather-bound book.

"Normally, I would not grant such a request," he said. "But I understand that your situation is dire, so I will make an exception for you. There is a reason I protect the Author's identity. All I ask, Miss Swan, is that you do as much as possible to protect him, too. Do you accept?"

Emma wondered if he was fishing for information, trying to confirm his suspicions, but she couldn't tell. Maybe she was just seeing and hearing what she wanted.

She replied, "So long as it is in my control, if it is in my power, I promise I will do as you ask." 

"Very well," he said as he sat down. "I cannot tell you where you can find the Author, but with a possession of his, you can cast a spell that will lead you to him. This is the first copy of the first book he wrote."

He handed her the leather-bound book, and she opened it to the title page.

  
_Once Upon a Time..._

#### The Wooden Fairy Book

She stared at the Author's name before she asked, "Who is August W. Booth?"

* * *

Killian assumed that the devastation hailed down upon Arendelle's castle would change Lancelot's mind, but he was wrong. The King refused to speak about Camelot or King Arthur.

Then, he inexplicably invited Taio to the library.

Of course, Killian protested. He was outraged that Lancelot would let a vow stand when Arthur's plans clearly violated whatever accord they had. Had it not been for Henry's need of a Healer, he might've challenged Lancelot to a duel.

Regina had tried to heal the boy, but she drained from her battle with Zelena. So Taio went with Lancelot while Killian took Regina and Henry to the Healer's Chamber. 

After their wounds were tended, they were sent to a guestroom to rest before their journey home, and Killian was certain that Lancelot would turn up and tell them everything.

But he didn't.

By the time Taio joined them, it was dusk. Killian wanted to be angry because anger gave him strength, but all he felt was the weight of Emma's absence.

"I know what Arthur is trying to do," Taio announced.

"Lancelot told you?" Killian asked.

"No, but, he gave me this," Taio replied, holding out a small book. "His personal account from his time as a knight, serving King Arthur, and the year after his disgrace."

"Lancelot kept a diary?" Killian asked.

"Personal account," Taio corrected. "It's actually quite common for a knight, though usually it records victories and defeats, friends and foes."

"What did you find?" Killian asked.

"Two things," Taio replied. "One, when King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone over fifty years ago, he discovered that the blade was broken. Years later, he learned that the rest of the blade was used to create the most powerful binding object in all the realms."

"The Dark One dagger," Killian said, cottoning on. "He said the dagger was a Sister of the Forge to Excalibur, not a broken piece of it."

"He lied," Taio said. "His claim to the throne of Camelot comes from that sword. He couldn't have anyone knowing that it was broken. Besides himself, the only other people who know are the Sorcerer who made the dagger and Queen Guinevere. He became obsessed with mending Excalibur, so much so that his wife went on a mission to find the dagger herself. Lancelot followed her to try to get her to turn back. She told him everything and ordered him to help her."

"Just a guess: their mission wasn't successful," Killian said.

"Not even a little bit," Taio replied. "They found the dagger, but the Dark One intercepted them. When he realized what they were after, he went to Arthur and showed him Lancelot and Guinevere in love. So, Arthur made a deal with the Dark One to give up his firstborn child in exchange for his marriage and kingdom restored overnight."

"He promised his child and the heir to Camelot?" Killian asked, disgusted.

"In return, the Dark One used his magic to rebuild the old castles, mills, and any structure that once existed in the Broken Kingdom," Taio said. "The spell made everyone in Camelot believe King Arthur had restored the beauty of their kingdom during his reign of twelve years. And when his wife returned, she fell under the spell, too."

"But not Lancelot," Killian said.

"No, he was exiled, and he traveled to the only country where he still had friends," Taio said. "Maldonia."

"You said there were two things you discovered," Killian said. "What was the second?"

"Arthur promised his firstborn for a reason," Taio said. "He simply omitted the fact that his first child was already born and nearly sixteen years old."

"Arthur and Guinevere have a child?" Killian asked.

"No, not Guinevere," Taio replied. "The child was born when Arthur was only seventeen, before he was married. Before he was a knight, actually. It took Lancelot years to figure it out, but he began to suspect it when Arthur sent him to Maldonia as part of his training for knighthood. He asked about Duchess Amelia and her children, and she made inquiries about him. Eventually he put it together."

"If Arthur has a child, that means there is a rightful heir to the throne of Camelot," Killian said. "This could be key to winning support from Camelot. Who is it, Taio? Who is Arthur's firstborn?"

"Me," Taio replied. "It's me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the 'fly by night' sail, which required little attention, though they were only used to sail downwind.


	3. Davy Jones' Locker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur completely unravels in the face of Pan's treachery, forcing Emma to her breaking point. Killian and Regina watch, waiting for the right moment to strike.

It took five days to find the Author, who lived on the border of three kingdoms. His cabin had countless protective enchantments. 

It made Emma furious. Why did the Author have so much protection? Why was he trying so hard to hide? Every second she spent searching for him was one more second she didn't have to help Killian and Henry. She wasted five days because some idiot nobody's heard of put up four diversion charms. Five days that Cruella and Zelena hunted Henry.

For all she knew, they already had him.

She closed her eyes and pictured Killian and Henry, remembering those moments when they were talking or sword playing . She imagined them on the deck of the Jolly Roger, Killian teaching Henry about knots, ropes, and sailing.

She pictured them together, safe, and smiling until her anger ebbed away, until she no longer wanted to maim the Author for hiding from the world.

When Emma opened her eyes, she saw him exit his front door, axe in hand. The Author was a tall, thin man with dark hair, dark scruff, and blue eyes.

She teleported to his side, knocked the weapon to the ground, and grabbed him by the collar.

"August Booth?" she inquired.

"Uh, who?" he replied. "Sorry, pretty sure you got the wrong guy." 

He was lying. She smiled. 

Shadow and silver mist surrounded them, and she took them away.

 

Emma and the Author appeared in front of King Arthur, who was sitting in the Council Chambers. 

"Is this the Author?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Emma replied.

"Hi," August said. "Why am I here?"

"Do you know who I am?" Arthur asked as he stood up from the council table.

"Uh, yes, your majesty," August said. "Why am I here?"

"Direct, I like that," he replied. "I shall be direct in return. You are the only person in all the realms who knows how to restore Excalibur to its full power."

"Oh, right, Camelot," August said. "Listen, technically, you're right, I should know, but I don't."

"Can you find out?" he asked.

"Well, no, not... no."

"Listen to me, Author," Arthur said, his voice rising. "I mean you no harm. I can offer you and those you love protection and refuge should you require it. All I request in return for this is knowledge. I need to know how to restore Excalibur."

"Excalibur's story was before my time," August explained. "When a new Author takes up the mantle, there's a kind of link that allows the new Author access to those old stories, but it's only a temporary. I became the Author when I was a child, so I had the link for the longest of any Author. I sought the stories of Camelot, but I was never able to reach those surrounding the birth of Excalibur."

"You're telling me you tried to learn about my sword but failed? How is that even possible?"

"It's not," August replied. "I'm the Author. I should've been able to hear that story, no problem, but the first time I tried, someone stopped me. Told me I'd never know that story. Ever. I was eight at the time, though. Thought maybe it was an adult content filter. So I tried again at age ten, and eleven, and on and on until I turned eighteen and the link disappeared. I was never able to see how Excalibur was made or any of its history before you drew the blade from the stone. And now that the link is gone, I can't connect to the old stories any longer."

"Who?" Arthur demanded. "Who stopped you?"

"Like you don't know," August replied. He pointed his thumb at Emma, who still had him by his collar. "Her. The Dark One. She blocked me. She also kidnapped me from my home, apparently under your orders. No reason to believe you weren't behind it all."

King Arthur was livid and his eyes, ablaze. He turned to Emma, clenched the dagger, and said, "Dark One, I command you to tell me the truth. Did you stop this man from learning about Excalibur?"

"No," she replied.

"It was her!" August said. "She told me that she was the Dark One and that no one would learn how to restore Excalibur so long as King Arthur lived!"

"Dark One, how do you answer this?" Arthur asked.

"I became the Dark One when Rumpelstiltskin died less than a year ago," Emma replied. "By his own account, this link of his was severed almost twenty years ago. I couldn't've done what he claims any more than I can lie to you."

"I'm telling you, it was her!" August said. "She was paler, had white hair, and wore all leather, but it was her!"

His description was close to the dreary version of herself she'd seen before. Killian had mentioned seeing her in this form as well. Apparently they were not the only ones who had witnessed her shadow self.

"Listen to me closely and heed my words," Arthur said, closing in on August. "There are number of villains who seek you. One of them wishes to free a prisoner only you can release. The longer you keep up this pitiful charade, the more likely I am to hand you over to them. So think carefully, Author, are you certain you can't help me?"

"Yes," he replied. "But, please, whatever you do, your majesty, you can't release Isaac Heller. He will wreak havoc on this realm and every other, worse than the Dark One or any other villain - "

"I don't know about that, darling," Cruella interrupted.

She and Zelena limped into the room, looking worse for the wear. They were both disheveled, and the smell of smoke clung to their singed clothing.

"There's no time for shock and awe," Cruella continued. "You need to order the Dark One to kill Peter Pan."

"He plans to cast the Dark Curse," Zelena added. "And he has nearly all the ingredients."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Arthur asked.

"Don't be a fool," Zelena replied. "We tried to stop him, but we failed. Even if we could succeed, he put a curse on himself. Whoever kills him will die. Unless, of course, his killer is immortal."

"And when last I checked, darling, the Dark One is the only immortal on hand," Cruella added. "She'll be fine as gin. Order her to kill Pan."  
"Know your place, witch!" Arthur shouted. "I don't take orders from the likes of you!"

"Peter Pan can only be killed by a blade forged by the Spark of Life," August interjected. "And there's only one I've ever heard of or read about."

"Do tell," Cruella said.

"The Dark One Dagger."

Arthur scoffed, glaring at them all as if they were one multi-headed monster.

"I won't relinquish the dagger on some petty errand," Arthur said. "You're all liars conspiring against me! You want me to give up the Dark One Dagger to kill Peter Pan because he'll, what, do something more evil than usual? I don't care! Let him! I'll do nothing until I have what I bargained for! Curse you, Author! And you, witches! Dark One, immobilize them!"

She snapped her fingers and paralyzed August, Cruella, and Zelena. 

Arthur paced back and forth, one hand rubbing his chin as the other clutched her dagger. He muttered to himself about treachery, villains, and retribution.

"Dark One," he said. "What curse stops someone from living but not from being alive?"

"The original Stone Curse," she replied. 

"Describe it to me."

"The target is trapped inside stone, conscious but not able to speak or move."

"Dark One, cast the original Stone Curse upon these three!"

Emma tapped into the despair and anguish drumming inside her, and she cursed the hapless trio. It took everything she had, and a numbness overcame her as they marbled into stone. She stared at King Arthur, rekindling her hatred for him, clinging to her rage, but her detachment only became more pronounced as her energy drained away.

"Now that they've been sorted," Arthur said. "Dark One, find Peter Pan and crush his heart into dust. Do you understand?"

"No. Are you ordering me to kill Peter Pan?" Emma asked.

"Yes!"

"Then I require a blade forged with the Spark of Life," she replied.

"I'll never give you the dagger," he said stiffly. "But if it was forged with the Spark of Life, then it stands to reason Excalibur was as well. Tell me, Dark One, why should I hand over the most powerful weapon in all the realms to you on the word of a deceitful Author?"

"It is the best way to ensure the task is completed swiftly," Emma replied, both sounding and feeling like a robot. "Giving me Excalibur doesn't compromise your control over me, and if the Author spoke the truth, killing Pan will require it."

Arthur drew a sword with a broken blade. Its markings matched those of the Dark One dagger, and she knew just by looking at it that they were closer than sisters of the forge. They were once the same weapon. He handed it to her, and the metal hummed under her fingertips, pure power resonating from the hilt.

"Dark One, I command you to find and kill Peter Pan," Arthur ordered. "Protect Excalibur at all costs. Keep it concealed and only use it if crushing Pan's heart fails. After you slay that beast, I command you to discover the means to restore my sword. You will do nothing else until you have found a way, unless I summon you or command you otherwise. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Then go!"

* * *

Killian watched in horror as Emma turned three people to stone. She had been defiantly calm in the face of Arthur's madness, but when she cast the spell, everything changed. He saw the pain in her eyes before it was swallowed up by a quagmire of depression, which was revealed by the hollowness that covered up the light in her eyes.

It was more than that, though. He didn't just see it on her face, he _felt_ the toll it took on her.

"We need to see where Emma is going," Killian said. "If she finds Pan - "

"Then she'll kill him," Regina interrupted. "Which, I suppose, is one way to solve our Dark Curse problem."

"Did you not hear Zelena and Cruella?" he asked. "Pan cursed himself. Whoever kills him will die!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that the Dark One can't die!" Regina replied.

"Can we see where she's going with this bloody thing or not?" 

Regina rolled her eyes. She waved her hand over the mirror that she had turned into a window of Camelot, and it began to follow Emma's movements.

"Why torture yourself?" Regina asked. "She can't disobey. Not so long as Arthur has the dagger."

"Aye, but maybe we can help her," he suggested.

"Help her kill Peter Pan?" she asked. "You'd only get in her way. Besides, if you somehow managed to kill him instead, you'd die and leave this realm with a grieving Dark One."

"So we just do nothing?" he asked.

"Nothing is the best option until we can get the dagger from Arthur," Regina replied.

He wanted to argue, but Regina was right. Emma had the means to kill the little demon, and he might hinder more than help.

So he sat by the mirror and watched.

* * *

_**Ten days ago in Neverland...** Emma went down to the brig with Regina's heart box, fully intending to store the extra heart with the others._

_But when she arrived and saw the twenty-five hearts in labeled cubby holes, another idea occurred to her. If what the Darlings said was true - that Felix was the thing Pan loved most - then Felix's heart might be the most dangerous object in all the realms._

_As she realized this, she glanced down at the heart Regina had kept all these years. The man who owned it might be long dead, but it was still beating. It was still alive and usable._

_Felix wouldn't even notice the difference._

_Emma swapped the hearts, taking Felix's heart with her. She'd bury it somewhere safe in the Enchanted Forest, preventing Pan from ever casting the Dark Curse._

 

Emma found Pan in a matter of minutes. Casting the Dark Curse essentially drew a giant, magical X on his location. He had most of the ingredients brewing, but she had already compromised his spell beyond repair.

If Arthur had only asked her to stop the Dark Curse, her work would be done, and she wouldn't be hunting one of the most dangerous sorcerers she'd ever met. Despite growing weaker each day, Pan was still a force to be reckoned with.

And she had to find a way to kill him.

She waited for an opportune moment to upturn the cauldron brewing the Dark Curse. Then she threw whatever she could conjure: lightning bolts, fire balls, and blasts of ice. All she had to do was remember what Pan had tried to do to Henry, and the fury and the magic came easily.

He hadn't been expecting her, so her first foray went very well. She got close enough to thrust her fist into his chest, but there was nothing inside to grab.

"As the Savior, I assumed you should be aware that intelligent dark wizards don't bring their hearts to battles involving magic," Pan said as he knocked her away with an eruption curse. "Of course, I never had use for a heart personally. I did away with mine after the last time someone tried to rip it out of my chest. That was around the same time I set a curse to kill the one who kills me."

"Pan, there is something I have been dying to ask you," Emma said, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

"And what's that?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

She started her second assault, but he was ready for her this time. He traded blows with her, throwing balls of burning red energy that cut to the bone. She returned fire, but her aim wasn't as good. Whenever she moved closed enough to use the sword on him, he flew away.

It went on for far too long, and her frustration began to sap her energy. Her ice blasts had almost no effect, and her lightning barely phased him. 

So she gathered her strength, picturing Killian's eyes in a storm and Henry's bravery against Pan, and she summoned gale force winds to knock the demon out of the sky. 

The winds also lowered the accuracy of his energy balls, throwing the fight in her favor. Every part of her ached, and her blood coated the ground around her. But the Dark One was immortal, so no matter how much pain she was in, she'd survive. 

So she let him hit her over and over again as she crept closer, and when she had Pan where she wanted him, she drew the broken blade and thrust it into his chest.

The look on his face could only be described as absolute shock. Pan glanced down at Excalibur sticking out of his chest as his body went slack. The raging winds died away in an instant. 

She felt compelled to confirm Pan's demise beyond all doubt. So for good measure, she yanked out the blade and decapitated him with it.

Peter Pan was dead.

It was when Emma sheathed Excalibur that she realized something was very, very wrong. At first, it was the sensation that someone was looking over her shoulder, watching her every move, but she also began to feel genuinely unwell.

She turned and reached out, touching the magic spying on her. Somehow she knew that the person watching wasn't a foe.

"Killian?"

But the sick feeling was graduating to pain. Pain that was more intense than her recent battle injuries, and she realized that being the Dark One wasn't enough to escape the price of Pan's last curse.

* * *

Killian watched Emma battle Pan, and it was spectacular and terrifying at the same time. When the winds picked up, the image became obscure, so for a while, all he could see was lights flashing in a storm.

But then it cleared, and he saw Pan run through and then decapitated by the broken blade. 

His heart leapt into his throat when Emma looked at him through the mirror and said his name, like she knew he was there.

"Emma?" he said. "I can hear you, love. What do you need?"

"She can't hear you, pirate," Regina said. 

"Killian, I know you're watching me," Emma said a moment later. "I hope you can hear me. Something's happening. You need to get to Arthur right now."

He didn't understand what she was talking about until he saw her fair skin ebb green and gray. She shivered violently, and she looked terrified.

"Tell Henry I love him," she said.

The power of the grounding wire inside him burned hot for a moment before it went out. Killian's entire body went numb as he watched Emma Swan mutate into a grotesque marble statue of herself.

**Author's Note:**

> When a ship is detained in one area due to contrary winds, it is _windbound_.
> 
> Fear not! For Her Dark Works continues with Episode #20 "[Line Crossing](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6281590/chapters/14393431)"!


End file.
